Practical Exam

 
 
 ☆
 
 
 The vast grounds were split up amongst the 12 groups for the magic control and sorcery practical exam.
 
 “Uhh, I’m in… Group 7.”
 
 I head over to the designated examiner.
 
 Along the way, I spotted Renee and Anna and waved to them.
 Renee shyly returned the wave, while Anna waved back with a smile across her whole face.
 
 With how it was, it seems like there won’t be any problems with the written exam.
 
 I sighed with relief, while on the other hand, I thought of the practical exam I was about to do and fired myself up.
 
 “Alright. Let’s do our best!”
 
 I tightly pumped my fists.
 
 
 ☆
 
 
 The exam for magic control was in the form of a game using magic tools.
 
 The test-taker places their hand on the tennis-ball-sized Mistreel input device, and channel magic power according to the card indicated by the examiner.
 
 The cards each had one type of fruit on them, either oranges, apples, or grapes, and were drawn as bunches of 1 to 5 fruits.
 
 Lines extended from the input device to three displays with pictures of fruit on them, and the test-taker has to adjust the flow direction and quantity of the magic power, as quickly and as accurately as possible, to turn on the correct number of the five lamps on the displays.
 
 In short, it’s the flag-raising game.
 This gets repeated five times.
 
 
 
 (Somehow, it reminds me of the lab in the royal capital, huh.)
 
 While checking on the test-takers ahead of me taking the exam, I thought of this.
 
 The lock to the lab can be opened by channelling magic power of specified wavelengths in the correct order into the Mistreel plate with the Family crest engraved on it.
 
 Whether one is a magic-toolmaker or a sorcerer, what is required of them is similar, I suppose.
 
 (And that’s why I’m so frustrated over not being able to activate any sorcery…)
 
 While thinking like that, I awaited my turn.
 
 From what I could see, the average test-taker’s magic control level wasn’t that high.
 
 Although most people could channel magic power to the correct display, they were having quite the difficult time getting the target number of lamps to light up.
 
 Among them, a single person was outstandingly good.
 
 He was a test-taker five people ahead of me in the line.
 
 He was wearing a long, deep blue shirt and pants reaching down to his knees^[1], which I thought might be traditional clothes. That boy, with his head wrapped in a cloth of the same colour and his mouth hidden with a mask, lit the lamps far more smoothly than the other test-takers, surprising both the examiners and the test-takers.
 
 (Perhaps, just like me, he’s come from far away to study abroad.)
 
 I felt a one-sided sympathy for him.
 And then, it was my turn.
 
 
 
 “Hey, hey… That’s quite the speed and accuracy.”
 
 The moment I finished my fifth attempt, the stubbly male examiner holding up the card said this with an astonished expression.
 
 “Are we finished?”
 
 “Yeah, go to the sorcery practical.”
 
 Responding to my question, the examiner spoke while shrugging his shoulders.
 
 “——— Letia Ainbell. Born in Heielland, huh.”
 
 The examiner, looking at the documents in his hand, smiled and said this at the end.
 
 “This is a good year for abroad students. I look forward to seeing you in class.”
 
 … Eh?
 This sloppy-looking guy is a professor?
 
 Being lightly waved off by the male examiner, I happily moved over to the next line for the sorcery practical.
 
 
 ☆
 
 
 (Uhm… So, I really am the only one who can’t use sorcery?)
 
 As I waited in line for my turn, I noticed my face cramping up as I watched the other kids’ practicals.
 
 Given that we were taking an exam for a sorcery school, all the other test-takers easily activated sorcery.
 
 At this rate, I’ll be the only one taking the exam for magic.
 
 (I really am going to stand out badly, aren’t I?)
 
 I was dejected.
 
 At that moment, the surrounding test-takers began making a noise, going 『Woaah…!!』.
 
 (What???)
 
 Looking around, I saw where everyone’s gazes were pointed.
 And then, I understood the reason everyone had stirred.
 
 (It’s that kid.)
 
 It was the aforementioned boy wearing traditional clothes.
 
 “………”
 
 Mumbling, the low voice chanted.
 
 I couldn’t hear his voice too clearly, but at the tip of the finger aimed toward the target dummy ——— there was a blue, shining magic circle unfolding, and a gigantic fireball emerged.
 
 “That’s…!”
 
 
 
 ——— that, was magic.
 
 It was also the magic of 『Flare Ball』 which I knew so well.
 
 As far as I could tell, the magic circle was undoubtedly the intermediate magic used on the battlefield by even Heielland.
 
 The problem, however, was how much magic power was put into it.
 
 If an ordinary soldier were to use 『Flare Ball』, it should reach at most the size of a basketball.
 
 However, 『that』 in my field of vision had nearly swelled to the size of an exercise ball.
 
 “An amazing amount of magic power… However, what’s truly amazing———”
 
 The moment I murmured that,
 “『Flare Ball《Explom Flam Sphiria》』!!”^[2]
 
 Along with the boy’s shout, the gigantic fireball was shot forth.
 
 
 
 Rooaaarrrr!
 
 The fireball emitted a roar as it headed for the dummy.
 And then———
 
 Bang!!
 Booooooommm!!!!
 
 A flash of light.
 And then an explosion.
 
 The blast rushed all the way to me, and I covered my face with my arm.
 
 ——— several seconds later.
 
 Looking up, the dummy had been blasted down to a stump.
 
 “… his magic power amount was amazing, but the skill required to hurl that fireball at the target without it collapsing is his true value.”
 
 Before I knew it, I found myself smiling wryly.
 
 The target had been blown away, and the teachers and part-time students began clearing up the mess in a panic.
 
 Perhaps it was a feeling of empathy with him, who had demonstrated skills from my birthplace in this country where sorcery flourished.
 
 However, as the young boy exchanged a few words with the examiner and gave a light bow before walking in my direction, I felt like giving him a high-five.
 
 
 
 “You showed me something good. Thank you.”
 
 As I called out to the boy, who was only a little bit taller than me, he stopped his feet and gave me a look.
 
 “……”
 
 The boy looked at me with uninterested eyes.
 
 However———
 
 “Huh?!”
 
 “Hm?”
 
 The boy, staring at me, suddenly raised his voice, and I tilted my head at him in response.
 
 “Ah, no…”
 
 The young boy turned away in a fluster, mumbling beneath his mask.
 
 And then,
 
 “See you.”
 
 He hastily headed for the school building.
 
 “?”
 
 What was that just now, I wonder.
 
 A question mark floating atop my head, I tilted my head to the side.
 
 
 ☆
 
 
 “Huh? What did you just do???”
 
 Immediately after I fired my magic at Mr Dummy.
 
 The female examiner stood up with a hurry.
 
 The people were abuzz.
 
 Everyone’s gazes were concentrated on me.
 
 While looking at those around me,
 (It wasn’t as good as the guy before, but I guess I managed to show them something that wouldn’t have them make light of me.)
 I let out a sigh of relief within my heart.